Thanks Susan.
Ashes is supposed to rip you to shreds, that's the kind of poem it is. I let a person who frequents a poetry workshop read it and she cried right in front of me, then she asked if I was published; I told her I did not want to make money off of it. I always read it slowly, but I'm looking at it now and I realize my punctuation is off.
"I do care..." has no punctuation and the title is part of the poem itself, and so is the last line: "my friend." It's meant to be read fast- a person usually finds the right meter after a concerted go. It's meant to be an exhibition of everything that can be packed into that simple four word phrase: I do care, my friend.
These, however, are old. I haven't written anything substantial in about a year...
Thanks for your kind words